NIGHTLIFE ADVISER

Ink, drinks on bar menu

The answer could be found in the question. If one was getting a tattoo in a bar, the decision obviously could be fueled by alcohol consumption.

To a certain extent, tattoos and drinking go hand in hand. Still, who in their right mind would get a tattoo in a bar?

"That's not really a good idea," said tattoo artist Scott Fricke as he scanned the crowd recently during the weekly "Inked" body art gathering at Smart Bar. "You just don't want a bunch of drunk people all of a sudden deciding they want tattoos."

Fortunately, Smart Bar, Chicago's venerable night spot, quickly abandoned that thought when it unveiled its Wednesday "Inked: Tattoo Service Industry Night" last month. The weekly gatherings have turned into a celebration of the world of body art and piercings. Tattoo novices learn what the work entails as the "tatted up" compare body art and bond over $2 Pabst Blue Ribbons.

Smart Bar music director Jim Amato, who said "Inked" was a natural for the bar since 85 percent of the staff is tattooed or pierced, invites a different studio each Wednesday.

And for those considering a tattoo or two, it's like an open house.

"It's a little more laid back and a little more loose than if somebody actually comes into the studio," said 28-year-old tattoo artist Rodney Taylor of Insight Studios Custom Tattooing & Body Piercing, 1026 N. Milwaukee Ave. "It pushes this creative vibe. You can look at somebody's portfolio and not feel pressured. That's what this is all about."

Taylor stood in front of a table in the back of Smart Bar's basement space as three women -- all with varying tattoos -- thumbed through the portfolio of Insight, the featured tattoo studio of the week. There was an arm covered with a colorful cobra and another with a bulldog.

A few feet away, Fricke, who also works at Insight, explained the finer points of his tattooing technique to a guy and two girls -- who didn't appear to have a speck of flesh left to accommodate another drop of tattoo ink. An imposing figure, Fricke stands 6 feet tall, with a bald head, extra-long goatee and a sleeveless shirt exposing a pair of buffed arms covered in tatts: skulls, serpents and more serpents.

Feeling a little sheepish, I told him of my grand vision to have Jimi Hendrix's head tattooed on one of my shoulders (like the one Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has). I told Fricke that I'm afraid that as I get older and my skin begins to droop, Hendrix might start looking more like Redd Foxx. Fricke's eyes widened as he let out a big laugh. "Either way, it would still be cool, man," he said.

Fricke, in the tattooing business for 14 years, then gave me some friendly advice. "This is something you definitely want to think about before you do it," he explained. "You don't want to just do something on impulse."

I noticed that a group of tattooed bodies had gathered behind me, nodding in agreement. It was after midnight and the Smart Bar was teeming with people comparing body art. Two women sat at the bar, one showing off a spider web on her arm while remarking that she loved the angel tattooed on the other woman's bicep.

Several members of the Windy City Rollers, Chicago's roller derby league, sat under of display of body art. They popped into the Smart Bar after practice and were trying to convince one of the players, Anita "Applebomb" Mechler, to get "Fury for Life" scribbled somewhere on her body. The 26-year-old Mechler skates for the Fury by night and works at an ad agency by day. She had promised to get the tattoo but now was having second thoughts.

"I'm here to talk to people who have gotten work done," Mechler said. "I love my team, but I'm thinking about getting something on my body and it's going to be there the rest of my life. I have to make sure I'm getting it done right."

Julie "The Crimson Crusher" Adams prodded Mechler to get the tattoo. Adams waited until she was 25 to get her first piece of body art. Now 32, Adams, an interactive art director by day, boasts six tattoos, including "Fury for Life" on her left side.

As she sipped from a can of PBR, Adams talked about the next one -- or two, or three -- tattoos she plans to get. She said that just being at Smart Bar for "Inked" was enough to convince her to do it again.

"I spend a majority of my day being the odd person out," Adams said. "But here, I'm just like everybody else."

"Inked: Tattoo Service Industry Night"

Wednesdays, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.

Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark St.; 773-549-4140, www.smartbarchicago.com

The buzz: This was a natural move for Smart Bar, a conduit to Chicago's underground music scene for more than 25 years. This time the club spotlights the city's body art community, showcasing a different local tattoo parlor each week. Artists bring portfolios of their work to show off while human canvases compare tats. There's no cover charge, but there are $2 Pabst Blue Ribbons.

Terry's tip: Whether you are interested in getting your first tattoo or adding to your tattoo collection, grab one of the "$20 off" fliers sprinkled about the bar.